We recently had the chance to connect with Vreny Van Elslande and have shared our conversation below.
Vreny, so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Would YOU hire you? Why or why not?
Yes, absolutely.
CBS News included me in an article in which they discuss the 5 best guitar and music teachers and schools in Los Angeles. I felt honored by that considering that Los Angeles counts more guitar teachers than any other city in the world. DistinguishedTeaching named me the #1 Best Guitar Teacher in Santa Clarita.
I had students with high musical ambitions who barely knew how to hold a guitar when they had their first lesson with me, reach the level where they were earning $7,000 to $9,000 income with guitar only — in 3 years or less. From complete beginner to full-time professional musician who no longer needs a day job in about 3 years — not bad, right?
I also published an Amazon best-sellers-listed book on educational psychology and learning potential, titled “Unlock the Extraordinary YOU.” The book was peer-reviewed by a professor in linguistics and a PhD. in educational psychology — both regarded the work highly.
Yes, I was lucky to have great guitar and music teachers, but god only knows how much faster I may have improved if I could have had me (or someone like me) as a teacher in my first 10 years of learning guitar.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My main company is ZOTZinMusic
ZOT is Flemish and means “crazy” with all the meanings and connotations that the world holds: exuberant, enthusiastic, full of life, crazy about someone or something (In love with… music)
Zin in Flemish means “to be”.
Hence, zot zin, is to be crazy, to be in love, full of life, wild, exuberant.
With the word music added, to me it means: to be be deeply in love with music and full of life and awe and wonder as if overtaken by the beauty of the art form.
The ZOTZinMusic mission statement has always been: “Maximize & Unite Humanity Through Music, Education & Travel.”
That mission statement is the guiding principle that governs everything I do.
The ZOTZinMusic company is home to all my businesses:
1) ZOTZinGuitarLessons: my guitar lessons business where I teach private one-on-one music, guitar, and songwriting lessons
2) ZOTZinPublishing: which publishes all my books and music recordings
3) ZOTZinProduction: my recording studio
4) GuitarVoyage.com: my online guitar lessons membership site.
4) Vreny.com: my artist and perfomer’s website
and more.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
I don’t think it is one particular relationship, but a combination of relationships.
Besides being lucky enough to have fantastic parents, I think the most important relationship you can have is probably the one with yourself first and foremost. Everything stands and falls with how much you believe in yourself, how highly you regard yourself, how much you trust yourself, how much passion you can muster, how well you educate and develop yourself, how well you like yourself, and how well you’ve dealt with all your issues and hang ups.
If you got all that resolved and optimized, EVERYTHING else falls into place.
You end up having and attracting your perfect match dream partner, great clients, fantastic opportunities, and everything else one could ever wish for.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Oddly, it’s the hard times that make you fully realize how much and how beautiful life is. Life is EXACTLY like music and composition — songs with melodies that only consist of pleasant-sounding chord tones sound boring and bland, uninteresting, and are easily forgettable. The more tense a chord sounds, the sweeter its resolution. It’s the occasional dissonance that gives a song and melody its character, it’s beauty.
The same is true in life — It is the toughest challenges that end up giving you the greatest sense of achievement and the deepest satisfacton, once resolved. Success does not teach you that, and success can only be enjoyed or appreciated deeply when you also know what the opposite feels like: struggle, challenge, hardship, hard work, blood, sweat and tears.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Kindness.
It’s one of the things I think is most lacking in the world.
With kindess comes:
* peace and peace of mind (for those around you)
* service, being there for others
* a better, nicer, lovelier community
* appreciation, understanding, respect…
and so much more
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I want the story of my life that people tell themselves after I am gone to be, that I was a super fun to be with, successful, kind guy who somehow constantly beat the odds and achieved EVERYTHING he always wanted, from studying in his favorite music school, to touring the world with his band performing his music in front of crowds of ten-thousands.
I want the story to be that I indeed did maximize and unite humanity through music, education and travel.
On the most minute level, if even ONLY ONE of my students got a lot out of studying guitar with me and reallhy managed to improve their life as a result, then I already succeeded in life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://zotzinmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zotzinmusic/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zotzinmusic/
- Twitter: https://x.com/ZOTZinMusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vreny11/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/vrenys-guitar-lessons-santa-clarita
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZOTZin
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/zotzinmusic
- Other: https://guitarvoyage.com
